This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of a region of the galaxy M100 shows a class of pulsating star called a Cepheid Variable. Though rare, these stars are reliable distance indicators to galaxies. Based on the Hubble observation, the distance to M100 has been measured accurately as 56 million light-years (+/- 6 million light-years), making it the farthest object where intergalactic distances have been determined precisely. Hubble's high resolution pinpoints a Cepheid, which is located in a starbirth region in one of the galaxy's spiral arms (bottom frame). The top three frames were taken on (from left to right) May 9, May 4, May 31, and they reveal that the star (in center of each box) changes brightness. Cepheids go through these changes rhythmically over a few weeks. The interval it takes for the Cepheid to complete one pulsation is a direct indication of the stars's intrinsic brightness. This value can be used to make a precise measurement of the galaxy's distance.
Only Hubble Space Telescope has the required sensitivity and resolution to detect these "cosmic milepost" type stars out to great distances from Earth, according to astronomers. Typically, Cepheids in a crowded region of a distant galaxy are too faint and the resolution too poor, as seen from ground-based telescopes, to be detected clearly. Hubble was used to make twelve one-hour exposures, timed carefully in a two-month observing window, to discover 20 Cepheid variable stars in the M100 galaxy. Though M100 is the most distant galaxy in which Cepheid variables have been discovered, HST must find Cepheids in even more distant galaxies before accurate distances can be used to calculate a definitive size and age for the universe.
Technical Information:
The Hubble Space Telescope image was taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC 2). This black and white picture was taken at visible light wavelengths.
Target Information:
M100 (100th object in the Messier catalog of non-stellar objects) is a member of the huge Virgo cluster of an estimated 2,500 galaxies. The galaxy can be seen by amateur astronomers as a faint, pinwheel-shaped object in the spring constellation Coma Berenices.
Credits
Dr. Wendy L. Freedman, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and NASA| About The Object | |
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| Object Name | M100, NGC 4321 |
| R.A. Position | 12h 22m 54.94s |
| Dec. Position | 15° 49' 19.49" |
| About The Object | |
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| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
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| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
